Mercy Corps: Climate Resilience in Development Programs
TL;DR: Mercy Corps case studies demonstrate successful climate resilience integration into development programs, improving food security and governance for vulnerable communities.
- Climate resilience builds on existing development for at-risk communities.
- Market expansion and behavioral change improve pastoralist resilience.
- Multi-sector programs integrate adaptation into poverty reduction.
- Urban capacity building strengthens cities against climate shocks.
- CRD offers strategies for diverse contexts with measurable outcomes.
Why it matters: Integrating climate resilience into development programs is crucial for protecting vulnerable communities from environmental shocks. These strategies enhance food security, improve governance, and foster economic stability in the face of climate change.
Do this next: Explore how existing community programs could integrate climate change adaptation measures.
Recommended for: Development practitioners, policymakers, and community leaders focused on climate change adaptation and poverty reduction.
Mercy Corps' series examines key lessons from integrating climate resilience into development programs, using a Climate Resilient Development (CRD) approach that embeds adaptation into poverty reduction via food security, social cohesion, and inclusive governance. The Pastoralist Areas Resilience Improvement through Market Expansion (PRIME) project, a five-year multi-agency effort, supports pastoralists by expanding markets and promoting long-term behavior change while building resilience to climate impacts. As one of the first large-scale multi-sector programs, it reveals successes and challenges in adaptation integration. Another case, Indonesia's Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN), a US$59 million Rockefeller Foundation initiative, strengthens over 50 cities in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam against shocks via capacity building. These studies detail strategies like market expansion for pastoralists, multi-sector resilience integration, and urban governance enhancements, providing best practices for scaling CRD in diverse contexts with measured outcomes on poverty, shocks, and long-term viability.